Kitanglad declared Asean Heritage Park

MANILA, Philippines - Another popular tourist destination in the country has been listed among the few so-called Heritage Parks in Southeast Asia, the Department of Tourism (DOT) said.

Tourism Secretary Joseph Ace Durano said the Mt. Kitanglad Range Protected Area (MKRPA), a popular bird-watching site, has been declared the 28th Heritage Park of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

The protected eco-tourism area is home to the endangered Philippine Eagle and rare birds such as the McGregor’s Cuckoo Shrike, Elegant Tit, Streak-breasted Rhabdornis, and Black-and-Cinnamon Fantail.

Durano said the inclusion of MKRPA to the list of ASEAN Heritage Parks was announced during the 11th Annual Meeting of ASEAN environment ministers where the region’s efforts on a number of issues, particularly those relating to environment sustainability as part of the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Blueprint, were reviewed. 

“Coming at a time when the world is celebrating the year of ecological biodiversity, this recognition pushes us to strive even harder in preserving our natural wealth, and imbibe a ‘green’ consciousness,” Durano said. 

He said the ASEAN Heritage Park “aims to establish a regional network of national protected areas conserving critical representative ecosystems in the region.”

The MKRPA is the ancestral domain of several tribes such as the Higaonons, Manobos, and Talaandigs. It is accessible by plane or boat through the Cagayan de Oro terminal/port.

The MKRPA is the third eco-tourism spot in the country to become an ASEAN Heritage Park; the two others are Mt. Apo, the country’s highest peak, in Davao, and Mt. Iglit-Baco, home of the endangered tamaraw, in Oriental Mindoro.

The list includes 28 other destinations, namely, Tasek Merimbum in Brunei Darussalam; Preah Monivong National Park, and Virachey National Park in Cambodia; Leuser National Park, Kerinci Seblat National Park, and Lorentz National Park in Indonesia; Nam Ha National Biodiversity Conservation Area in Lao PDR; Kinabalu National Park, Mulu National Park, and Taman Negara National Park in Malaysia; Alaungdaw Kattapha National Park, Indawgy Lake Wildlife Santuary, Inlay Lake Wildlife Sanctuary, Khakaborazi National Park, and Meinmahla Kyun Wildlife Sanctuary in Myanmar; Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve in Singapore; Ao Phangnga - Mu Koh Surin - Mu Koh, Similan Marina National Park, Kaengkrachan Forest Complex, Khao Yai National Park, Tarutao National Park, and Ba Be National Park in Thailand; and Chu Mom Ray National Park, Hoang Lien Sa Pa National Park and Kon Ka Kinh National Park in Vietnam.